Kagawa

Kagawa, smallest ken (prefecture) of Shikoku, western Japan. It occupies the northeastern portion of the island, facing the Inland Sea (Seto-naikai), opposite Okayama prefecture on Honshu, and includes Shōdo and other small offshore islands. Takamatsu, on the northern shore, is the prefectural capital.

The region’s climate is warm with little rain. The prefecture is drained by numerous rivers (including the Kōtō and Doki) and is dotted with lakes. The Yashima promontory, northeast of Takamatsu and overlooking the Inland Sea, was the scene of a major sea battle between the Taira (Heike) and Minamoto (Genji) clans in 1184.

Rice, barley, and wheat are the main crops; mandarin oranges are grown in the south, and olives are raised on Shōdo Island. Lacquer, work gloves, and fans are major manufactures. Much of Japan’s salt is mined in Kagawa prefecture. The quarries of Shōdo Island are believed to have yielded the rock from which the first Ōsaka Castle was built.

Takamatsu, the chief port for communication with Honshu, is a major tourist centre for Shikoku and Seto-Naikai National Park. Tamamo Park contains the ruins of the 16th-century Takamatsu Castle, and Ritsurin Park is considered to be one of the best examples of Japanese landscape gardening. The 19th-century Kotohira (Kompira) Shrine at Kotohira, 19 miles (31 km) to the southwest, attracts many pilgrims. Sakaide, west of Takayama, is the southern terminus of the Seto Great Bridge (opened 1988) between Shikoku and Honshu. Area 724 square miles (1,876 square km). Pop. (2010) 995,842.